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And with essentially the same team this year, the Edmonton Oilers kept giving the Kings reasons to score, making a steady parade to the penalty box in a 4-1 loss at Staples Center.

The Kings scored a pair of power-play goals en route to the victory, which further jeopardized the Oilers playoff chances with 10 games left.

“We definitely dug ourselves a hole right off the bat,” said Oilers head coach Ralph Krueger. “We were trying to avoid chasing the score and we started with a soft play right on the second shift of the game and we got punished for it.

“Penalties were a bit of a problem again and the short-handed situations. They scored just the one five-on-five goal, but they had numerous opportunities. It was our penalty kill that got beat today. We’re disappointed, they pushed hard, they battled hard, we couldn’t create the offence we would have liked to, and never really found our rhythm.”

Magnus Paajarvi countered for the Oilers, who after filling the net against the Calgary Flames two games ago, have suddenly developed scoring issues.

“Penalties killed us today for sure,” said Paajarvi. “It felt like it got our pace and speed down a lot and when we don’t have that, we’re not as dangerous as we can be. We have to match their intensity, because they’re heavy and hard. If we don’t match their intensity we can’t use our skills and our advantages. It was not good enough.”

The loss was the Oilers second straight having won five consecutive games to get them back in the playoff conversation.

Richards opened the scoring with the Kings first shot, taking a feed from Jeff Carter in the slot and firing it past Devan Dubnyk.

The goal was Richard’s ninth and came as a result of turnover in the Oilers end.

Sam Gagner was unable to get the puck past Carter along the boards, who knocked it down and teed it up for Richards less than two minutes into the game.

The Kings increased their lead later in the period as Carter had a centring pass bounce in off his shin while on the power play.

The Oilers took three minor penalties in the first period and Carter’s goal came as Jordan Eberle was serving a hooking call.

“Discipline is a huge factor,” said Gagner. “LA is a good team, they’re a hard team to beat when you’re undisciplined and you’re taking penalties. For us, it’s just about finding a way to raise our level. These are important games, these are games that you want to be a part of down the stretch when you’re fighting for your playoff lives.

“It’s something that’s new to us and it’s something that you have to realize that these games are more intense and we have to raise our level and we have to learn to do it pretty quick.”

In the second, Paajarvi pulled the Oilers within a goal, scoring a power-play marker of his own, finding the puck at the side of the net and tucking it in behind Quick.

The Kings, however, increased their lead later in the period with another power-play goal as Voynov blew a point-shot past Dubnyk, who didn’t see the puck until it sailed past him.

The Oilers goaltender had been given the night off in Vancouver Thursday, and made 35 saves.

The loss prevented the Oilers from making up ground on the idle St. Louis Blues who currently own the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference, three points up on the Oilers.

The Oilers conclude their four-game road trip Monday in Anaheim against the Ducks. They return to Rexall Place Wednesday to host the Phoenix Coyotes. Seven of the Oilers last 10 games are at home.

“With the top teams in the league we can do certain parts of the game that match their ability,” said Krueger. “The speed and the effort it quite honestly here, but just the physical side that you need to bring every day and every shift is something that we continue to work on and we need to continue to improve on.”